TWHS grads contribute to Oscar-winning short film

The Woodlands High School graduates Dominic Pallotta and Beavan Blocker contributed to “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore,” which won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film Sunday.

The Woodlands High School graduates Dominic Pallotta and Beavan Blocker contributed to “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore,” which won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film Sunday.

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The Woodlands High School graduates Dominic Pallotta and Beavan Blocker contributed to “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore,” which won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film Sunday.

The Woodlands High School graduates Dominic Pallotta and Beavan Blocker contributed to “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore,” which won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film Sunday.

TWHS grads contribute to Oscar-winning short film

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When Dominic Pallotta and Beavan Blocker accepted their first job fresh out of college, they never dreamed it would soon lead them to the Academy Awards - and an Oscar.

Both graduates of The Woodlands High School, the pair worked as animators on Moonbot Studio’s “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore,” which won an Oscar Sunday evening in the animated short film category.

“I couldn’t believe it; I was blown away,” said Blocker, who has continued to work for Moonbot and is celebrating the win with fellow crew members. “I had heard things about us having a good chance, but once the Oscars actually started that feeling sort of neutralized.

“But we got it, and it was incredible.”

Released in February 2011 and directed by William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg, the 14-minute film takes inspiration from Louisiana architecture, Hurricane Katrina and a love for books, according to the studio’s website. It combines a slew of production techniques, including filming miniature sets, stop motion and 3D animation.

Blocker, a 2005 graduate of TWHS, and Pallotta, a 2006 graduate, attended the Ringling College of Art and Design, where Moonbot founders visited to recruit students for their project.

“I was hired on primarily for computer animation, but whenever we got (to the studio) we were asked to jump into all sorts of projects,” Pallotta, 23, said. “It was a great experience and I couldn’t have asked for a better job.”

The studio hired a several students from Ringling’s crop of top-notch designers and animators, Pallotta said, so his new job doubled as a place to continue to learn and work with friends.

“All four of us from my senior thesis project got hired on together, and it felt so unreal,” he said. “It was kind of a dream of ours.”

Winning an Oscar was icing on the cake. Pitted against equally impressive short films, Blocker, 25, said, the film “came out on top not because of its technical complexity, but because of its powerful combination of emotion and visual appeal.”

“When I watched all the short films, I felt ours was the strongest and was the all-around best film,” Pallotta said, echoing his friend’s sentiments. “It has a great story and was visually really beautiful, where the other films may have had only one of those elements.”

The prestigious award may be an indication of things to come for the two animators. Pallotta has moved to a studio in Austin to pursue his dream with Retro Studios, working on Nintendo games, while Blocker remains in Louisiana. Both plan to continue to pursue their passion for animation, they said.